1. Summary of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for aquaculture life support and, more particularly, to a method and aparatus comprising filter, support assembly and associated components for effecting a flow of fluid across the filter to effect the oxidation of microbiological digestable compounds within the water in which the apparatus is located.
2. Description of the Background Art
There is an ever-increasing demand for fish. Such fish might be utilized for human consumption, for aquariums, or for a wide variety of other purposes. To meet this demand, fish are grown in reservoirs, aquariums, artificial containers, or the like. The care and maintenance of such fish, however, is an expense which increases the unit cost or price per pound of the fish. A wide variety of techniques have been attempted in the past to increase the efficiency of reservoirs. Such past attempts have been limited in their success.
By way of technical background, fish and other aquatic animals, in both fresh and salt water, take in food through their mouths and oxygen through their gills. They excrete nitrogenous waste into the water. Within such waste is ammonia, a toxic substance which has the negative effects on fish of reducing growth and stressing immune systems which will eventually be fatal. The toxic by-products of this waste are generated in the metabolism of the fish during the natural life sequence. Also in the natural sequence, such toxic by-products are dissolved in water. Only limited quantities of such by-products in water can be tolerated before the negative effects will begin to take their toll.
In the natural sequence, one naturally occurring byproduct of the partially toxic water is bacteria that is present in the gut of fish and aquatic animals. Such bacteria would tend to coat surfaces of a reservoir or stones in a pond. Such bacteria would tend to consume, and thus remove, the toxic wastes from the water to extend the usefulness of the water in retaining fish and other marine life.
Various approaches are utilized commercially and are disclosed in the literature for increasing the efficiency of reservoirs. By way of example, note U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,623,454 to Tauscher, 4,634,534 to Cominetta and 4,666,593 to Bosne. These patents disclose filter media for effecting the purification of water thereacross. In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,852,384 to Bearden and 4,690,756 to Ry disclose mechanisms for effecting a flow of fluids for water purification purposes.
Although many such advances are noteworthy for one purpose or another, none achieves the objectives of an efficient, reliable, inexpensive, convenient to use system for effecting a flow of fluid across a filter to effect the nitrification of the reservior water in which the system is located.
As illustrated by a great number of prior patents and known commercial techniques, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to purify reservoir water more efficiently, reliably, inexpensively and conveniently. None of these prior efforts, however, provides the benefits attendant with the present invention. Additionally, prior techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of method steps and component elements as disclosed and claimed herein. The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objectives and advantages over the prior art through a new, useful and unobvious combination of claimed method steps and components which is simple to use, with the utilization of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture and by employing only readily available materials.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for use in a fish farming reservoir or the like, for the cleaning of water in which the apparatus is postioned, through the biological oxidation of microbiologically digestable compounds within the water, comprising in combination: filter means positionable in the water to be cleaned, the filter means having pluralities of surfaces providing high surface area per volume; biological agents supported on the surfaces for cleaning the water in which it is positioned by digesting microbiologically digestable compounds in the water flowing through the filter means; locating means for locating the filter means spaced from the bottom of the water to be cleaned; pump means with a discharge component for effecting the flow of a pressurized fluid through the water and across the surfaces in circuitous paths for the cleaning and redistribution of the water; and positioning means to position the discharge component beneath the filter means and above the bottom of the water for directing the flow of water through the filter means for cleaning purposes.
It is a further object of the invention to support a filter so that the flow of reservoir water thereover will effect its purification.
It is a further object of the invention to effect the flow of reservoir water over a filter to effect its nitrification.
It is a further object of the invention to utilize a filter support assembly as a conduit for directing a flow of water purifying air across the supported filter.
Lastly it is an object of the present invention to maximize the quantity of fish which may be grown in a reservoir.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or by modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.